Big Questions

Where?

What does “local” mean to your institution?

Where does your patient population come from? Where does your patient population with the greatest health needs reside?

What areas do local business development organizations already work in?

Are there any high-poverty zip codes in your service area? Are they any zip codes with significant health disparities?

Have specific areas of need been identified in your strategic plan or community health needs assessment?

Has “local” been defined in any other area of your institution such as hiring?

Is there an established business district or business corridor? Are there existing distribution centers and transportation networks to build off of? Shared business or warehouse space to leverage for business creation/expansion?

Will residents with employment and transportation needs be able to access job opportunities that are created?

If you are interested in print copies of these toolkits, or would like to know more about how The Democracy Collaborative can support their use at your institution, please contact kparker@democracycollaborative.org.